


Forced to steal my heart

by baronvonsweater



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe, Arranged Marriage, Gay, Humanstuck, I need more dirkxkankri in my life, M/M, Maybe they hate eachother, Possibly a lil bit o smut, Royalstuck AU, Wedding, Wen ur first fic is a nit popular ship, gay wedding, idk - Freeform, ill add more tags later, maybe some fluff, royalstuck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-10
Updated: 2016-12-09
Packaged: 2018-06-10 08:09:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6946948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baronvonsweater/pseuds/baronvonsweater
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A few weeks ago, Kankri was told he would be married to Dirk Strider, who just happened to be heir to the most powerful and rich empire currently in exsistance, no biggie.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. At First Glance

**Author's Note:**

> Hey hey hey! This is my very first fic so....this could go exactly two ways. You like it or you hate it. Either way, I would greatly appreciate it if you gave me critiques because I am extremely new to this whole thing....anyway, thank you for stopping by!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kankri takes a painstaking long time to walk up to the castle, and finally feels somewhat welcomed. Until Dirk comes into the picture.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey any of you who actually made it here. I would like to warn you that I am currently visiting family, and have been procrastinating a bunch...so if you think this chapter took a while, I'm here to apologize in advance. Also, I did write half of this while I was slowly falling asleep on a plane, so that's my excuse if it completely sucks. Anyways, thanks again for reading, and critiques are welcome in any form, just leave it below in the comments!

Kankri could practically hear the thumping of his heart in his chest. Though he had known about what what was going to happen for about a month now, and had had plenty of hours to think it over while traveling across the quaint countryside by horse-drawn carriage in near solitude, the implications of the situation seemed to be just weighing on him now. Marriage was not something to be taken lightly, but everyone close to home acted as if it was. He had always more or less known that when he came of age he would be married off as quickly as possible, but the reality of that fact had not been made explicitly as he had wished, nor did he think that the statement would be taken this literally.

 

The situation wasn't as bad as it could have possibly been. His father had at least heeded his request for a male suitor, which Kankri would have never imagined was even remotely possible until a few weeks ago. The moment King Vantas had returned from another one of his trips to yet another neighboring kingdom, he promptly informed his eldest son that he was to be married off in few short weeks to a heir to the Strider throne. A man Kankri had never met. Sort of. A man Kankri had never met informally. Being royalty did come with the great honor of more or less remembering every member of every allied or foe kingdom. And meeting most of them at one of the countless dinners or balls held every few months. Not much more came out of it than a bit of over rehearsed small talk and polite handshakes with quickly stated introductions. After a few thousand of these events, exact names, faces, and conversations began to blur together.

 

The one thing in particular Kankri could remember about the Striders is that they were extremely powerful, and the expanse of their land and riches was not something to bat an eye at. But really, who could forget something like that when land and riches was the only thing people rrally talked about? Anyone would jump at the chance to marry into such a profitable kingdom, which is probably exactly why his father had been a bit less particular about certain details of the marriage. This being said, the Striders weren't exactly the most social of families, and it was almost amazing that they had rather positive foreign relations, especially after certain off hand remarks Kankri had heard uttered by either one of the Strider brothers, usually leading to the other sibling giving the slightest bit of a grin while everyone else nervously tried to usher the conversation on.

 

All the other velvety red seats in the carriage were vacant, leaving Kankri to his own devices, which was more or less a bad thing. A bit of conversation wouldn't have hurt, and possibly ease a bit of his self imposed stress. The scene outside the window seemed almost to play on loop. The same golden fields, with the occasional cottage or stone wall, over and over till the repetition created almost a feeling of nausea in the boy’s stomach and he could no longer bear to do as much as glance outside. 

 

He laid out as well as he could on the cushioned seat to avoid looking out the window, and instead occupied himself with the intricate designs on the roof of the carriage. The stiffness of his garments did not make this activity extremely comfortable, and the heat of summer did not help the feeling of sickness, which Kankri soon realized was probably more likely due to a sense of dread than a boring landscape.

 

Sitting up, he unbuttoned the top four buttons of his burgundy doublet, each with a small engraving of his family crest. As luxurious as samite looked, it was not the sort of fabric that would be ideal for these sort of temperatures. It was rather thick, and not very malleable, which didn't allow for much circulation and made it impossible to roll up one's sleeves. Plus, the high collar often jabbed Kankri in the neck, occasionally caused chaffing, and forced him to crane his neck when looking in really any direction.

 

A small trail of sweat rolled from Kankri’s thick black hair and down his back, and quickly pushed him over the edge. Hastily undoing the rest of the buttons, he pulled off the uncomfortable garment, leaving him in a light, frilly cotton undershirt. Sighing in relief, he set the discarded doublet on the seat across from him, gently tugging on the much more accommodating shirt to help cool himself faster. 

 

Outside, the vast empty fields slowly grew smaller, and the sight of a building of some sort became more frequent. This sluggish transition continued until the carriage came to a halt. Peering outside, the prince caught sight of what appeared to be a large stone wall with a few guards standing alongside what Kankri assumed to be the entrance to the city. It only took a few minutes before the guard realized where this carriage had come from, and where it was heading. He took this time to pick up his doublet and quickly put it and and do up the buttons. They were given the signal to enter and promptly started up again, this time on a hard stone path instead of the dusty dirt ones he had been traveling before. Kankri gave a small smile and wave to one of the guards, only receiving a sideways glance in return. 

 

The streets were bustling with people of all kinds, with men, women, and a plethora of small children weaving in between each other going about their business. A few gave him a friendly smile, others pointed and waved, but for the most part, no one really took much notice of him. This didn't really hurt Kankri as much as it worried him. He knew he wasn't exactly from the most prominent family, which probably made certain people less than happy about the two kingdom’s union, but his biggest worry was that he wasn't the blushing bride for Prince Strider people had probably been expecting ever since stoic boy had been born.

 

The pit in his stomach returned again, nervous beads of sweat forming at his brow. He quickly pulled the curtains closed, effectively giving him the illusion of solitude. Drawing his knees up to his chest, he buried his face in his arms. Everyone here hated him, he was sure of it. They had no reason to greet him with open arms, or even remotely like him. This was a disaster, all of it. He had already failed at one of the few responsibilities he had actually been entrusted with. Maybe if he just turned back now, no one would notice.

 

Taking a deep breath, Kankri put his legs down, and shooed away the thoughts. It was completely absurd to turn back at this point. Plus, if he did, he father wouldn't take him back and probably disown him. Not to mention that obviously not everyone hated him, a few had at least smiled at him, and technically he hadn't failed yet. What really mattered is how he came across to his husand-to-be. They didn't really have to “love” eachother in the traditional sense, just stand one another, and this in itself was more of a preference than a necessity. Plenty of kings and queens who took part in arranged marriages outright hated their spouse, and a fair majority of them had not plunged their kingdom into endless war, which was a confidence booster. Regardless, depending on how this first meeting went, it shouldn't be all that hard to get his husband-to-be to not completely and utterly despise him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey hey! How are you? Hope you're having a nice day. Or night. It's okay, I read fanfiction at night too. Regardless, you and your fabulous hair should go out and kick the world's butt tomorrow!


	2. Chapter 2

Kankri quickly jerked his hand away from the curtain, his eyes widening. He unconsciously scooted away from the door, the blood quickly draining from his face. How did they get here so soon? Was the Strider’s place of residence really that close to the edge of the city? The possibility that Kankri had simply lost track of time while stressing over the situation at hand was the most likely candidate, but still...the rate in which they got here was honestly more than a bit disconcerting.

 

Running his hands down his front, he removed any wrinkles that may have formed in the trip over, made sure his undershirt was completely tucked in, and dusted off his pant legs. With a small tug, he straightened his collar and quickly fixed his hair the best he could. He closed his eyes, and took a deep breath through his nose and out his mouth. During this moment, he silently reminding himself to only worry about the things he could control.

 

First impressions were everything, and as much as Kankri wanted to say looks didn't matter, when you're at this status, looks were everything. Looks are a key element when it came to presentation. Up to ninety percent of what a person takes away from any encounter is nonverbal, at least, that's what countless of Kankri’s teachers had told him over and over in almost every one of their dull lessons. Chin up, head straight, smile but not too much, and when you walk, act as if you are floating. He went over these steps, and recited his introduction in his head.

 

Quite suddenly, the gigantic wooden doors at the front of the castle opened up. This completely disrupted Kankri’s train of thought, and nearly causing him to jump out of his seat from surprise. That would have made quite the impression on anyone watching, and probably not a good one either. 

 

Using the door to steady himself, Kankri slowly exited the carriage, inspecting the area around him. He kept in mind to not to look anywhere too long because that could be interpreted as staring which was considered extremely rude. This was quite a feat in itself since everything was so different. By no means was Kankri’s family poor, but everything here seem so much nicer, the grass greener, the architecture more aesthetically pleasing, and every color twice as vivid. 

 

A small, rosy cheeked lady had walked out of the doors, and was now standing at to the top right of the stairs. When Kankri finally noticed her, she smiled at him, her eyes closing slightly. He took careful steps over to her, and slowly walked up the stairs, centering himself in front of the woman. Her dark brown hair was in a thick bun that sat at the top of her head, and she wore a simple green dress under a clean, white apron. She was quite a bit shorter than Kankri, forcing him to tilt his head down at an angle which made his collar jab deep into his neck. And on top of that, he had to smile, or at least not look unhappy. 

 

“Hello Sir,” She took one of his hands between her own, squeezing it slightly, “The Prince should be just inside waiting for you, I will show you in.” After removing her top hand, she knocked gently on the main doors. After a few moments, they were slowly pulled backwards, revealing the entrance room of the castle. Gently tugging on his hand, she led him inside, the doors soon shutting after he entered.

 

“Well, it appears he is not here yet.” She let out a sigh, the corners of her mouth dipping down ever so slightly. The woman let go of his hand, and made her way towards a large, spiraling set of marble stairs. “Please excuse me for a moment, I will go retrieve him.” The sound of her footsteps echoed in the vast room, slowly growing more and more distant. 

 

Now that he was alone, Kankri now had the opportunity to look around some. The entrance room looked as though it had a mirror going right down the middle. The only thing that broke this illusion was, of course, the spiral staircase on the right side of the room. Other than that, everything was perfectly reflected. Brown wooden tables with in intricately carved legs were on either side of the room, holding rather large glass vases of flowers that appeared to be from the garden Kankri has seen on his way in, but he couldn't tell for sure. The floor was made up of black and white marble, making a checkerboard pattern. Large, orange banners draped the walls, embroidered with the Strider’s family crest, and a simple red carpet decorated the floor. All in all, the room...wasn't that impressive. Sure it was big and showy, but something about it just made it feel empty. It looked more like a picture than a place to actually live in.

 

The sound of heels clicking on cold, hard flooring sent Kankri back into his “royalty” stance. He straighten his back, quickly fixed his hair and his clothing, made sure his feet were parallel to each other, readjusted his head, and made sure to give the faintest hint of a smile. 

 

It took the footsteps what seemed like ages to make it down the stairs. One slow step after the other, getting closer and closer until they had reached the final turn in the staircase. And there was Dirk Strider, Eldest of the Strider children, dressed in what definitely wasn't his best clothing and a thin golden band nestled in his light blonde hair. He lazily walked over to Kankri, and without so much as a word between the two of them, began circling him, his eyes darting from the top of his head to his feet. 

 

It took every ounce of restraint for Kankri to not turn his head, or move his eyes, or even twitch in the slightest. He wanted to turn and face him, or say something, really do anything to relieve some of the tension that was quickly being built up.

 

After his third revolution, Dirk stopped in front of him, gazing down at him slightly. “I suppose you will have to do.” Kankri didn't respond, but who could respond in a situation like this. His face showed no emotion, and his body language gave nothing away either. His voice was almost completely monotone. “90% is nonverbal” my ass, there was no way to read him, and no immediate way to tell how he was feeling. “Oh...thank you.” Kankri blinked a few times, trying to keep his half smile up. “It wasn't really a compliment, but whatever.” 

 

Dirk began walking off through the arch in the right wall, hand tucked away in his pockets. He had almost made it across to the other room, when he stopped and didn't even glance back at him.

 

“Are you coming or not?”


	3. Chapter 3

Kankri clenched his fists slowly, half considering flat out saying no and walking away. He told himself to relax, and try to enjoy this, but honestly, who enjoys being in a situation in which almost all preparation given to you before hand goes straight out the window in only a few seconds? Yet again he reminded himself how saying no was a bad idea with the high possibility of being disowned blah blah blah...regardless, this was going to be quite the experience. He straightened his back and began taking steady steps towards Dirk, until he was right next to him. Out of spite, he didn't turn his head to look at him either, which the blonde probably saw no significance in, but at least Kankri could feel the tiniest bit of redemption for being a bit rude. 

 

“Do you want water or something?” Dirk took a few steps forward, pivoting on his heel to face Kankri. “No actually, I would much prefer to look around. Possibly by myself.” Kankri replied in the calmest voice he could muster. ‘More importantly, without you.’ He needed time to recuperate, and come up with with game plan instead of frantically trying to converse with this stonewall of of a human being. The Prince stared back at him blankly. “You do realize you can’t go anywhere without me, right?” The corner of his mouth perked up ever so slightly as he spoke. “A young lady such as yourself couldn't possibly defend herself if left alone.” A low chuckle came in quick succession.

 

In that moment, every ounce of restraint in Kankri’s body dissipated. It was almost as if the only two things that were ever shown by this person was snarkiness or literally no emotion at all. “I don't know what you think gives you the right to treat me like utter garbage in the first ten minutes of our meeting, but I'm not going taking it any longer.” Looking Dirk straight in the eyes, he continued. “I understand this situation is hell to go through, but that doesn't mean you get to take it out on me. Everyone else in this Kingdom already hates me, so I really don't need it from you.” 

 

A few moments of silence passed, and still no response from the heir. ‘At least that god-awful smirk is off his face.’ In all actuality, that wasn't asking for a lot, but it wasn't as if his standards had risen at all in the past few minutes. 

 

The blonde slouched slightly, running a hand through his own hair with a sigh. “I suppose I’ll take you up to your room. Your belongings are already here, and we don't have to share a room yet.” Kankri wasn't sure if the quiet ‘Luckily’ he heard was actually said afterwards, or just something from his own head. Dirk began making his way towards the staircase, Kankri following a only few steps behind him. Slowly, they made it to the top.

 

The upstairs area was the complete opposite of the downstairs entrance. The walls were a warm orange color, the trim being elegant wood carvings painted painted a clean white. It felt just as spacious as downstairs, but the cold marble flooring was replaced with burgundy carpeting, the east wall was virtually covered in bookshelves, with a half circle of identical red silky chairs facing towards them. The opposite wall had evenly spaced windows which continued down down a hallway, a few with ivy peaking over the edges, flooding the room with sunlight, making it feel extremely cozy and much more home like. 

 

They walked past the wall with windows, Kankri could feel the pattern of the hot sun and the cool shadows on his skin, the repetition almost hypnotic. Quite suddenly, the windows stopped coming, and were now replaced with doors to various room alternating on either side. They passed about six doors before Dirk stopped without a warning, pushing open a door. A large, comfy bed with a small chestnut nightstand could been seen from where Kankri was standing, and instead of red carpet, the floor was a light wood, with a red patterned rug covering much of the room. Kankri walked around the other around into the room, immediately closing the door behind him. He could now see a small mirror and dresser adjacent from the bed and nightstand. The whole room had a slight pink tint from the curtains that had been drawn shut in front of a rather large window. Walking over, he pulled the curtains back, blinking a few times before adjusting to the light. He was able to see the flowering garden from before, as well as a few servants tending to their duties walking to and fro. Further back, he saw what appeared to be a stable of sorts, but not much else. 

 

He drew the curtains again, and sat down in front of the mirror, fixing his hair and looking at himself from different angles to make sure nothing was too out of place. He went through his routine again, fixing his posture, straightening his shirt, and dusting himself off a bit. Looking at his reflection, he thought about what he had said to Prince Strider, wondering whether or not he regretted it. Maybe if his husband-to-be showed a little bit of human emotion, none of this would have happened. A reasonable human being can only take so much sass and disrespect before something snap, right?. Even if this was true, it only gives him a reason why he reacted that way towards Dirk, and not justification. He might have overreacted a bit, but he didn't feel bad about his actions, which really wasn't good either. After an hour or so, he came to the conclusion that he should feel bad and apologize, but he was in no way obligated to do so.

 

Satisfied with this, he got back up, and walked back out of his room, hoping to sneak out into the book filled room he saw when being escorted to his room. Unfortunately, as soon as he turned to walk down the hall Dirk, who had apparently been waiting outside of his room the whole times, stood up and completely blocked his path. 

 

Kankri looked him up and down, hand firmly planted on his hip. Of course this would happen, nothing could go right now, could it? “You waited for me, how kind.” Each word dripped with disdain. A smile appeared back on the other prince' face. “ Of course, a lady like you shouldn't be left on their own. And I would never go back on my word.” An audible groan could be heard from Kankri. He rolled his eye, and a bit roughly, shoved past Dirk and continued down the hall, not looking back once until he reached his destination.

 

Once he got back to the main upstairs room, he grabbed a book at random, quickly hunkering down in one of of seats. He shoved his head further into the book as he heard footsteps come up from behind him. A blanket was laid over him, carefully placed so that it would not hinder his reading ability. Kankri head jerked around, about to kick off off the blanket and go off on Dirk again. To his surprise, the person who had laid the person blanket on him was the nice lady who welcomed him here, not the Prince. “Oh, thank you…” She smiled, causing him time smile back at her. “Anything to help, really it's nothing.” She walked off, leaving Kankri to continue reading. 

 

A few hours and three and a half books later, Kankri had curled up in the chair, and drifted off to sleep.

 

He dreamed of everything he had taken for granted at home.

**Author's Note:**

> Congrats on getting to the end of this chapter. Here's a gold star or whatever. But yeah, thanks for reading my fanfiction (or at least some of it)! Have a nice day you beautiful person who probably has fabulous hair!


End file.
